Rheanna Bernard

Social Media Strategist and Manager

Service Member's Branch - National Guard or Reserves

Service Member's Status - Currently Serving - 22 years

What has been your military spouse career/entrepreneur journey so far?

I received my BS in Criminal Psychology and we began our first move and had our first baby. I did make the conscious decision based on my husband's optempo to stay home. Having stability in their lives when he was traveling so much was important to me and ultimately less stressful. But if it wasn't for that I would not have developed my extensive knowledge and expertise in social media that has evolved at the very beginning of most of these platforms, having started as a Milspouse blogger. I've been a teacher, wedding planner and professional volunteer.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Rheanna and I am from Northern California. I married my high school sweetheart and he joined after 9/11. I love black and white movies, reading and Dr Pepper. I have three children, a dog and a cat!

Tell us about a "typical" day in your professional life.

My typical day involves overseeing various social media platforms for clients, including managing customer service queries. I actively seek out trends that could benefit my clients, develop storyboards for original video content, and handle filming and editing processes. I attend events and collaborate across departments to ensure company-wide engagement. Additionally, I manage and cultivate influencer programs.

If you've been stationed overseas, how did this affect your career and or business?

N/A

What has been your biggest military spouse career struggle and how did you overcome it?

I think that overcoming the type of career field my husband has was something hard to overcome. He has grown to be so regarded in his field and honestly it's a joy to see. Overcoming that for our family came in the choice I made to stay home and put my pursuits to working in aspects different than my degree field. I created an entirely new passion and career field for myself in the process!

What role did mentors and sponsors play in your journey?

N/A

Did your career path differ from what you imagined for yourself?

Yes!

How did military life (PCSing, deployments, trainings, etc) factor into your career decisions?

As explained above.

Have you ever had to geo-bach due to your career/entrepreneurship?

I geo-Bached to finish my degree. Back in the day (lol) transferring of credits and such was not as easy. I ended up moving back home and seeing my husband about once a month.

What resources have you found to be useful in your career/entrepreneur journey?

The community of military Spouses online and then those I've met in person has been so valuable!!!!

Final word: what are your top tips for other military spouses about navigating a career within the military lifestyle?

Life is about choices and I take the viewpoint that I'm not giving up anything and he's not giving up anything if one of us “sacrifices” something for each other. He has the luxury now of being flexible with his time and he does that for me. When I was traveling more he advocated for me at his job and was like this is what I'm doing. I've also found an amazing local community who supports it as well. We live this hybrid life now because he is now Traditional Guard instead of active so that is interesting. Not traveling as much but it's still a factor and as the kids are older and busier it can get crazy!

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